


Cherished

by southernbookgirl



Category: NCIS
Genre: Bittersweet, F/M, Life - Freeform, Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-11-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:21:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27718762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/southernbookgirl/pseuds/southernbookgirl
Summary: Love knows no difference. It has no boundaries.
Relationships: Ellie Bishop & Nick Torres, Ellie Bishop/Nick Torres
Kudos: 18





	Cherished

**Author's Note:**

> My mother, paternal uncle, and paternal aunt have all been hospitalised this week, across three different states. I am unable to see any of them due to current restrictions. My grandfather died Thanksgiving week four years ago. To say the least, for me, Thanksgiving has its challenges aside from who will bring what dessert and if you can watch Charlie Brown in a Pilgrim's hat on television. Amidst this, a certain thoughtful mindset has been my companion of late.

The young woman was quiet and thoughtful, a somber mood present as she stared off into the distance. Around her, the beautiful colours of autumn, the fires of red, orange, and yellow, had faded, but still held a sort of soft, tempered beauty on the trees dotting the landscape. The grass where she stood was freshly cut, but on a distant hill, the final grains of this season’s wheat and barley moved to and fro with the gentle breeze. The house beyond the hill was inhabited by a family – one with young children, she figured, if the bright and gay laughter and screams of several little ones were any indication. The sun had reached its peak and was beginning its westward descent towards the horizon. The brilliant rays of light shone on a nearby pond; the shimmer of the light on the water emanated a sense of calm and peace. All of this, to a passerby, might believe that this young woman, petite but beautiful with porcelain skin and warm, honey-blonde hair, had come here to admire the peaceful, quiet beauty of Mother Nature as she slowly fell asleep. However, upon closer inspection, one would notice the flowers that the young woman held in her hand. They would follow her gaze to something at her feet. There, the young woman would place the flowers, her hand resting on a smooth, solid surface. Tears leaked from her eyes and fell softly to the ground, dotting the dust-covered stone. Four stones were present, two smaller ones flanked by two larger ones, each with the name of a separate individual: 

“Sofia Maria Frida de Toledo Gutiérrez ~ Precious Daughter, Sister, Mother, Beloved, Gone but Not Forgotten, 1982-1999”

“A Beloved Angel ~ Too Beautiful for Earth, Elena Frida Lucia Torres de Toledo, 9 August 1997 – 22 September 1997”

“The Sweetest of Angels Was Called Home ~ Rayna Frida Cristina Torres y Bishop, born and died 26 June 2020”

“A Beautiful Mind and Soul, A Cherished Love ~ Husband and Father, Dedicated in Service to Others Above Self, Nicholas Cristian Armando Torres, 22 September 1981 – 9 August 2021”

There, Ellie knelt at the stone markers, her head bowed for a few minutes. Then, as quietly as she came, Ellie stood and walked down the stone path of the small cemetery toward her car; the bullet wounds she sustained that August day twinged in pain with each laboured step. She rubbed her swollen belly the whole way, wanting all the more to protect her unborn son from the cruel world he would soon enter.

Four beautiful lives, each one of whom touched Ellie more deeply than she would ever know, but whose influence and presence in her life was something she would always cherish. The sweet stories, the beautiful memories – all she had left of the four for whom she held a deep, passionate love. As she walked away, she passed a stone sign at the cemetery’s entrance. It read: “Love knows no difference between Life and Death. The one who gives you a reason to live is also the one who takes your breath away.”


End file.
